Thank you very much.
I thank Cheryl Hardcastle for giving me the time that she would normally have today.
It's a great pleasure to have Dr. Lobsang Sangay here, as well as Mr. Penpa Tsering, the Dalai Lama's representative to North America, who is here from Washington, D.C.
I have the honour to be the sponsor of e-petition e-431 to the Government of Canada. It was begun by Tsewang Rinzin from Toronto, a Tibetan who was born in Nepal and who is now here studying in Canada. This petition calls on the Government of Canada to have a delegation of Canadian parliamentarians or diplomats visit the Panchen Lama to determine his whereabouts and his well-being. It also urges the Government of China to release the 11th Panchen Lama and his family immediately and without conditions. We are expecting a reply from the government on December 1.
I'd like to ask you about the importance of the Panchen Lama in terms of religious freedom and Tibetan identity.